Submissions

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor indicating permission obtained from the original publisher). If the submission is published by the Journal of Law in the Middle East, you must contact the Journal prior to any subsequent re-publishing.
The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
You acknowledge that all published submissions are the property of RELX Group and can be published worldwide in print and electronic form in any RELX title or electronic service.

Author Guidelines

The Journal of Law in the Middle East by LexisNexis is now welcoming submissions of Articles, Essays, and Case Notes. Please submit your work directly through this website. Authors must comply with the following standards.

Submission process

Choose a submission type

All new submissions should be identified as an Article, Essay, or Case Note. For the full list of Submission Types and parameters for each, please see Submission Types. We will make adjustments if needed, informing you of any changes.

Enter submission information

We require certain metadata to help process your submission. Mandatory fields include Title, Abstract (not more than 250 words), and Keywords. Your name and institution—included through registration—will be redacted from submissions submitted for peer review.

Upload manuscript

Manuscript text must be in Times New Roman font, size 12. Please upload your submission, and be sure to include any additional related documents, such as tables, charts or data sets, directly in the manuscript document.

Confirm and submit

Review your submission, confirm, and submit. Each submission goes through an extensive peer review process, which is expected to take up to eight weeks.

Submission deadline

The submission deadline for publication in our inaugural Fall 2021 issue is 15 March 2021. However, after this date, we will continue to accept submissions for subsequent issues on a rolling basis.

What to include in your submission

Submission text

Your submission must include the manuscript in Word format with footnotes according to the Bluebook Citation Style Guide.

Bibliography

The bibliography should include a list of the primary and secondary sources used along with URLs for any online references. The bibliography must be included as the last page(s) of the manuscript.

Submissions types

We are accepting the following three types of submissions: Articles, Essays and Case Notes. More details on format are included below.

Citations

All citations should generally adhere to the Bluebook Citation Style Guide. For a more detailed explanation of suggested citations and style for all submissions, please refer to our Editorial and Style Guidelines.

Standards of acceptance

Submissions must meet high standards of academic writing in order to pass the initial editorial assessment and be considered for peer review. The standards for acceptance are outlined below.

Criteria	Description of acceptable standard
Content	Concise critical analysis of a highly relevant legal issue or topic in the Middle East which brings significant value to the research community, rigorous research methodology based on key literary sources, outstanding synthesis of core thesis and convincing arguments
Sources	Sources are varied and of high academic standard, extensive bibliography, citations are correctly referenced as per the Bluebook
Organisation	Poignant introduction and conclusion, exceptionally clear, strong sense of unity and order, logical transitions between arguments, highly effective methodology and layout including use of headings and sub-headings
Style and clarity	Language is clear, readable and articulate throughout, consistent and effective word choice, avoidance of cliches and undefined jargon
Grammar and spelling	Very few, if any, grammatical or spelling errors, consistent use of UK English spelling, careful adherence to standard rules of punctuation and capitalisation

Peer review policy

Anonymity

All submissions undergo a process of double-blind peer review. Accordingly, please remove all identifying information from your manuscript, and file name before submission (including your name, affiliation, and acknowledgments). Identifying information in headers and footnotes should be removed as well.

Peer review process

Submissions that pass the initial editorial assessment will go through a double-blind process of peer review prior to publication. Each piece is sent to at least two peer reviewers who are expected to give feedback on whether to publish, reject, or revise and resubmit the piece, together with basic comments about why. Should a conflict arise between two peer reviewers, this may be resolved by sending the piece to a third reviewer. The peer review process typically takes eight weeks.

Article

In depth, original scholarly research on a legal theme or research question related to law in the Middle East. 20,000 words including footnotes (+/- 10%). Analysis and research must be extensive. Article submissions may also include journal article or book reviews addressing recent publications on Islamic law, individually or collectively.

Essay

Focused research on a specific topic or point of law. 8,000 words including footnotes (+/- 10%). Though usually narrower in scope and scope and focus, the line between essays and articles is not rigid.

Case Note

Brief commentary on basic facts and outcome of a single noteworthy case in the Middle East. 1,500 words including footnotes (+/- 10%). The commentary should be concise and brief, offering only necessary analysis on the outcome and impact of the decision issued.

Privacy Statement

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